Hi Sabo, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. For those not already familiar with your music, how would you describe the fundamentals of your sound?
Hello and thanks for having me! I like to play deep dubby music that tells a story, with lots of tribal percussions, sometimes slow, sometimes faster, but never aggressive, and always groovy.
I understand you are a very spiritual person, and actively travel to experience the culture of different countries. Does this have any influence on how you approach music?
Absolutely, I love discovering new music in different parts of the world, and try to incorporate these sounds into my productions. Sometimes with samples found in the region, or even better, by recording local musicians. I just made some amazing recordings in Morocco this summer, which will be featured on a few tracks I’m working on right now.
The art and design of Sol Selectas also comes from these trips, because my girlfriend Helia often travels with me, and she is the art director of Sol Selectas. Many of the images you see in her cover designs, are influenced by our adventures, and paint a visual story of the music.
In the previous question you mentioned your label Sol Selectas, how would you describe its sound and philosophy?
The sound of Sol Selectas Records could loosely be described as deep tribal dance music, incorporating folkloric sounds and ancient rhythms, combined with the modern sounds of deep house, chillout and techno. The music draws inspiration from our ancestral past, but aims to lead us into the future, without any limitations or borders.
Sol Selectas intention is to bring together a global family of like-minded producers from all over the world, who share this common belief that music really does have the ability to move hearts and minds, and not just our bodies. As mentioned previously I run the label with my girlfriend Helia, and her artwork is also very important, as it perfectly tells the visual story of the music we release.
In 2016 you released your debut album titled ‘Vibe Quest’ on your own label Sol Selectas. What was it like working on an album compared to a single or EP, and were there any concepts behind it?
The ‘Vibe Quest’ is about how my global DJ bookings allow me to travel the world and search the globe for the “good vibrations”. Whether it be on the dancefloor, in someone’s home eating a fresh meal, enjoying a walk in some beautiful nature, or just hanging with a group of close friends, this music is meant to be the journey that brings the listener there. I really wanted to create tracks that describe those special moments, and showcase the various influences that inspire me. The tribal percussion is the backbone of the trip and along the way we find some disco, some afro, some latin, some deep, some dub, some techno and of course some house.
As well as tell a story, I knew well in advance that I also wanted to feature my Mom on this record, as she is still and always has been my biggest fan. Once I created the instrumental for the song Vibe Quest, I then recorded her playing the vibraphone, and from there everything really started to come together. Vibe Quest was the first track I made for the release, and I began to build the album using that as my foundation.
Towards the end of 2017 you released the second part of your album, which titled ‘Vibe Quest Remixes’ features a selection of new and rereleased remix versions. Could you tell us a bit about it?
In many ways the title says it all, I basically just invited all my favourite producers and friends to make interpretations of my tracks, and create their own journey using my loops and samples. I love hearing another persons take on my original idea, and how they reimagine it into their own piece of art.
Who has remixed tracks on “Vibe Quest Remixes” and what made you pick out those specific artists?
The roster is amazing with Acid Pauli, Metrika, Basti Grub, Timboletti, KMLN, Zakir, Thomas Von Party, Noema and more. I picked each of them because I’m a huge fan of their individual sound. Some of the artists are dear friends, and I wanted them to be part of the project, as they have been a part of the journey that is my life. A few of the remixes were agreed as a trade, so I’ll also be returning the favour by remixing some of the artists who featured on this release.
I saw that last year you also teamed up with Amsterdam based promoters The Gardens of Babylon, and in collaboration with them hosted a Sol Selectas label party at ADE… what’s it like running a label party, was the event a success?
The party with The Gardens of Babylon team was incredible, we sold out the venue on a Saturday Evening of ADE, which I’m told is the busiest night in terms of there being lots of other parties and events to compete with.
We had Kora, Amentia, KMLN, Unders and myself all play sets to a very open minded crowd which was a beautiful experience. Every artist that performed had a dancefloor full of smiling people, and the energy in the room was incredible. Big thanks to the staff at Claire for their amazing sound system, Helia for the art and design, and of course to the Gardens of Babylon team for putting it all together. I love running label parties, and this one was one of the best.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, what other exciting things do you have lined up for the coming months?
We have a lot of incredible new music coming on Sol Selectas in 2018 with releases from Canson, Mark Allow, Gab Rhome, Goldcap, Metrika, Zakir, Indian Dynamite, myself, and more. We also have remixes lined up from UNER, Ninze, MadMotorMiquel, Jon Charnis, Audiofly, KMLN, David Mayer and Robbie Akbal plus many others.
Of course we’ll be releasing another Summer Sol compilation to honour the first day of summer in 2018, and linked to that there will be several label showcase parties in 2018 to celebrate the music, the compilation, and life itself. We will announce dates and exact locations closer to the time, but so far we are working on doing events in Tulum, Dubai, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Mykonos, Panama, and more…
For more info on Sol Selectas you can find the label on Beatport HERE.
